Opera-chair.



PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

No. 880,314. A. L. LEVIN.

OPERA CHAIR.

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No. 880,314. PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

A. L. LEVIN.

OPERA CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IHHIIIHHIHHH IlIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIHIIIIHH 1H: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, 04 c.

110.8%,314. PATENTBD FEB. 25

A. L. LEVIN.

OPERA CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

in @0500 5% K No. 880,314. PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

' A. L. LEVIN.

OPERA CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1907.

4 sums-sum 4.

vwantcv ADOLPH L. LEVIN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

OPERA-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed \lulylOI 1907- Serial No. 383,102.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLPH L. LEVIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Opera-Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description'of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to opera chairs or chairs of the class employing rotatable and folding seats such as used in theaters, auditoriums, churches and general assembly halls where large audiences are accustomed to congregate.

It has for its object the production of a rotatable chair which is peculiarly simple in its construction, strong, durable and most eflicient in the uses for which it was designed and intended.

As a further object this invention contemplates and includes the production of means for speedily and accurately setting up and alining chairs in an assembly hall, or the removal thereof when occasion requires. Means whereby auxiliary aisles may quickly be produced by a partial rotation of the chairs upon their supporting standards. Means whereby the direction of rotation is predetermined and the extent or degree of rotation regulated.

This invention has for a further object the production of a folding chair capable of rotating upon its supporting standard in a radius not exceeding that of the allowed shoulder space of the chair, without interfering with adjacent chairs; also an arrangement of the folding members whereby they are folded past their pivotal centers the better to retain them in such folded positions; also novel forms of pivotal connections for said folding members, and various other features of construction which will herein more fully and at large appear.

The invention will be hereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Which form part of this application, and wherein corresponding characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views: Figure 1, represents in perspective a complete embodiment of the invention in position for occupancy. Fig. 2, is also a perspective view of the chair-frame and its supporting standard, the upholstering being omitted for purposes of clearness. Fig. 8, is a side elevation of parts represented by Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is a front elevation partly in section of the chair folded. Fig. 5, is a side elevation partly in section, of the chair folded and rotated fortyflve degrees upon its supporting standard. Fig. 6, is a fragmentary view representing a horizontal'section through the chair above its supporting flange. Fig. 7, is a sectional view of the seat coupling or pivotal connection taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8, is a vertical central section of the chairframe, showing its supporting standard in full lines. Fig. 9, is a vertical sectional view through one arm and its pivotal connection with the chair-frame taken on the line 99 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10, is an enlarged, front elevation of a flanged support for the chairframe, upon a fragment of the chair standard. Fig. 11, is also an enlarged view of said flange in perspective from a view point above. Fig. 12, is a vertical central section through the same flange member, shown in alinement with a fragment of the supporting standard and a sectional view of the base therefor.

Reference being had to the drawings and numerals thereon, 1 indicates a base adapted to be secured to, or depressed flush with the floor, and provided with a socketed boss 2, which latter may be depressed, or as shown in the present illustrations projected above said base. The aforesaid socket of base 1 is by preference of taper form, and is arranged at an oblique angle to the plane of the base or floor line. Resting in and rising from socketed boss 2 is the leaning supporting standard 3 of the structure having a lowermost tapering end and provided with a lifting nut 4 in threaded relation adapted when screwed down, by aid of an ordinary spanner Wrench (not shown), to seat upon the upper edge of said boss 2 and impart an initial upward movement to the standard.

At approximately the height of an ordinary chair seat the standard 3 is surrounded by a vertically adjustable flange 5 which by preference, but not necessarily, is of circular form, having a plain back surface 6 at right angles to the leaning standard 3, and a ruled front surface 7 that is to say, a front curved surface generated by the motion of a right line centered upon the standard; or, a curved surface, the generatrix of which is always at right angles to the longitudinal center of standard 3. This front surface 7 is configured by radial depressions 8, 9 and 10, the

purposes of which, as also those of the entire ange 5, will later appear.

Rotatably and centrally connected to the standard 3 at two points above the flange 5, is the chair back, or back-member of the structure 11, upon the lower center of which is-a radial lug 12 adapted to rest or travel in the course of its rotation upon the ruled surface 7 aforesaid, this flange thereby resisting downward movement of the frame. At its base the back 11 is reduced in width as indicated at 1313,in order that the chair at this point may rotate on a radius the same as that required for its greatest width; and from these reduced, or drawn in portions of the back member project corresponding blades 14, 14, to which is pivoted the seat member 15.

The seat 15 is substantially rectangular in form, is by preference slightly reduced at its back as at 16, 16; and at its extreme back is provided with a counter-balancing bar 17, at the center whereof is a cushion 18 of any suitable form or material for impinging upon the underside of flange 5, to cushion the seat when lowered, and to provide a third and central point of su port for the seat midway between its pivota connections,

The pivotal connections between back 11 and seat 15 comprise cylindrical pivots 19 securely bolted upon the inside of blades 14, and passing through the side rails of said seat 15 immediately back of their reduced portions 16 as best indicated by Fig. 7. While upon both sides of seat 15 near its outer edge are provided lugs 20-20 for engaging and elevating the chair arms when the seat is raised. Beneath seat 15 may be secured a wire hat rack 21 of ordinary form as shown. Projecting also from back 11 above blades 14-14 aresimilar but somewhat shorter armcarryingfblades 2222, to which are'pivotally connected the arms 2323 by agency of a boss 24 projectin from each arm and passing through said %)l&(l6$. This boss 24 is hollow and through it passes a bolt 25 drawn closely upon the end of said boss by means of an ordinary nut 26; while around the base of boss 24 is a circular depression 27 circumscribed by a lateral bearing surface 28 which latter insures a maximum bearing between the arms 23 and their arm-carrying blades 22 with a minimum frictional contact.

The arms 23 are each further provided with inner faces channeled as at 29, said channels being so positioned as to receive the lugs 20 on chair seat.15 as the latter is raised for the purpose of automatically raising the arms to the position indicated by Fig. 5, by which figure it will be noted that both seat 15 and the coacting arms 23 when folded, assume positions slightly be ond their pivotal centers upon projecting b ades 14 and 22, where gravity assists in retaining them. Upon these arms 23 also, near their pivotal points are cast lugs 30 and 31 for engaging the top and bottom respectively of projecting blades 22 for the purpose of limiting the upward and downward movement of the arms.

The foregoing being a description of my present invention in one desirable form of embodiment, I will now proceed to describe briefly its operation and some of its uses.

In the first place the initial setting up and plumbing of chairs in an auditorium, according to any given floor plan, is greatly facilitated by the ability to rotate base 1, one way or the other, until its superposed standard assumes a vertical position or is plumb with the rectilinear lines of the stage and room, regardless of whether the floor is an inclined or a step-floor, regular or irregular. This rotation of the base 1 imparts to the standard 3 a con'icalmovement which is likely to throw the chair-frame out of plumb. Presuming this to have resulted, it now becomes necessary to true up the position of the chair upon its supporting standard, a result almost instantly accomplished as follows: By aid of a spanner wrench, nut 4 is screwed down a turn until it contacts with the edge of boss 2,whereupon it merely jacks the standard 3 out of the closetaper fit with its base 1, and permits instant rotation of said standard and chair in either direction. The chair-frame having been thus trued with relation to the floor and its supportin nut 4, is backed off and the former con itions restored. As thus presented in position for use as in Fi s. 1, 2 and 3, the act of folding or unfoldin; both seat 15 and arms 23 is too apparent to require description, but attention may be directed to the extended or projected bearing points for these parts, which insure a most advantageous distribution of strains during occupancy of the chair, and permits said seat and arms to fold closer to back 11 when not in use.

When it is desired to rotate the entire chair-frame in either direction upon its leaning standard 3, the radial lug 12 leaving depression 8 rotates or travels upon the warped surface 7 until it reaches one or the other of the depressions 9 or 10, according to the direction of rotation During this passage of lug 12 over said warped surface the motion is regular and steady owing to the fact that a portion of said surface, namely its peripheral edge, occupies a horizontal plane; and, although mounted upon a leaning standard, said lug 12 at this point moves neither upward or downward in the course of its rotation. The balance of lug 12, however, is gradually raised in the course of its movement, as is also the entire chair-frame, upon its supporting standard until arrested by engagement with a stop or nut 32 upon the top or upper portion thereof. This stoppage occurs at the instant the chair has rotated 45 degrees and lug 12 has settled into one or the other of the radial depressions 9 or 10. As thus described the chair may be easily, quietly and smoothly rotated in either direction, but when'it is desired to prescribe the direction of rotation as well as the degree, a taper pin 33 is inserted in one or the other of the corresponding apertures 34, 34, at the back of the flange 5. In this position said pin 33 will be engaged by, and serve as a stop for, a finger 35 projecting rearwardly from the center of the chair-back 11 near its base where said finger sweeps over the surface 6 of flange 5 as the chairframe is rotated.

As thus constructed and operated it will be noted that the plane of the back 11 of the chair hereinbefore described, in the course of its rotation upon the standard 3, is caused to assume diflerent and continuously changing angles approaching the vertical, so that when fully rotated the folded chair-frame occupies less room than the same folded chair before rotation, thereby contributing in no small degree to the important object of forming auxiliary aisles.

The foregoing being a description of my invention in the best form of construction at present known to me,- it will be clearly understood that I by no means limit myself to such form, arrangement, or combination of parts. On the contrary they may be variously modified, changed and improved upon without departing from the spirit of my invention which will now be set forth in the following claims:

1. In an opera chair, the combination with leanin standard, of a folding chair-frame rotata ly connected to said standard, and a fixed flange having a warped surface upon which said frame rests and travels in the course of its rotation.

2. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a folding-chair frame rotatably connected to said standard, and a fixed flange having a warped surface on both sides of its center upon which said frame travels in the course of its rotation.

3. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a folding-chair frame rotatably connected to said standard having a radial bearing lug, and a flange fixed with relation to said standard having a warped surface upon which said bearing lug rests and travels.

4. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a folding chair-frame rotatably connected to said standard having a central bearing lug, a flanged support having a warped surface upon which said bearing lug travels, and radial depressions in said flange support for arresting said lug and frame in given positions,

5. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a folding chair-frame rotatably connected to said standard, and a flanged support fixed with relation to said standard having a depressed conical surface upon which said frame rests and travels in the courseof its rotation.

6. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a folding chair-frame rotatably connected to said standard, a circular supporting flange surrounding and aflixed to said standard having aplain back surface and a double warped front surface, and a stop upon the plain surface of said supporting flange for preventing rotation of the chair-frame in one direction.

7. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a chair-frame rotatably connected to said standard, and a flanged rest for said frame having a curved surface generated by the motion of a right line centered on said standard.

8. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a chair-frame rotatably connected to said standard and a flanged rest for said frame having a ruled surface the generatrix of which is at right angles to the longitudinal center of said standard.

9. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a folding chair-frame rotatably connected with said standard, a fixed flange upon which said frame rests and travels, means for sliding the chair-frame upon said standard longitudinally durin rotation, and a stop upon the standard for limiting the upward movement of the frame and thereby its degree of rotation.

1 0. In an opera chair, the combination with a leaning standard, of a rotatable chair-frame mounted thereon having a back normally leaning with said standard and which when rotated assumes substantially a vertical position.

11. In an opera chair, the combination with a rotatable chair-frame, of means whereby the plane of the back of said chair is caused to assume different angles approaching the vertical as the chair is rotated from its normal position.

12. In an opera chair, the combination with a back reduced in width at its base, of

pivot-holding blades projecting from said aok, and a folding seat pivotally connected near the ends of said blades.

13. In an opera chair, the combination with a chair-frame and folding arms therefor, of a perforated boss projecting from each arm as a pivotal connection with the chairframe, a depression at the base'of each boss circumscribed by a lateral bearing surface, and bolts passing through the perforated bosses aforesaid for pivotally connecting the parts and preventing lateral movements of the armswi-th relation to the chair-frame? 14. .In an opera chair, the combination with a chalr-frame having projecting arm- 'carrying blades and folding arms therefor, of a perforated boss projecting from each arm as a pivotal connection with said blades,

a depression at the base of each boss circumscribed by a lateral bearing surface, bolts passing loosely through the perforated bosses aforesaid for pivotally connecting said arms,

and lugs upon each arm to limit their pivotal movement in both directions by engagement with the projecting blades.

15. In an opera chair, the combination with a rotatable base having a socket in- ADOLPH LEVIN.

Witnesses:

WM. E. DYRE, THOMAS DURANT. 

